Dic-Dic. Multilingual dictation to practise spelling, writing

The Dic-Dic app will help your child to learn a range of vocabulary and spelling in 4 different languages, English, Spanish, French and Catalan. Not only can your child practise his/her language spelling, he/she can also begin to learn basic words and spellings of other languages! The quality of this app is very good and it is a great tool for getting children motivated into learning their spelling. We greatly recommend this app and as a result, this app has a 5 Star EAS Certification.

Teacher Review

It can be such a chore to get children to learn their spellings for school. Some take to it more easily than others. However, this app makes learning the words fun and engaging.

There are three levels to choose from in the Dic-Dic app: “Easy, Intermediate and Difficult”. Each level has appropriate words with a variety of complication. You can also choose to have a hint in the spelling so that the words are already spelt in light coloured letters and all you have to do is find and type the same letters in your type pad or, if you do not want this “hint” you can turn it off so that you get a complete test game. We thought that the best thing about this app is the voice-over of the children saying the words and the letters when you write them in. If you get something wrong, the voiceover encourages you to try again. We really liked having a child talking to a child to learn vocabulary as it makes i the process more fun and informal.

The words and spellings can be practised in British English as well as American English, which is a nice touch. When the user starts getting the words correct first time, there is a “notebook” feature on the right hand of the screen which lists all of the words that the user has completed. This acts as an overview for both parent/teacher and child so that they can look over all of the new words that he/she has learnt how to spell and to identify which words may still need more practice.

The illustrations that accompany the words are very vivid and serve to commit the words to memory. There is also a section with only the pictures so that you can practice the new vocabulary.

Another thing that was great to see was that spellings in French and Spanish take into account the accents in spellings. Therefore, it enhances the usage of the type pad as well as making children aware of the different rules of accents in the languages. The app also differentiates between capital and lower-case letters which is also great to add to the beginnings of a foundation for the rules of grammar.

Overall, this is a great app that can be used with pre-school kids through to primary school kids. You can set it to your child’s level or use the app to take your child through the different levels. We think that this app is a great way to progress with spelling in different languages. The app is efficient in that it will take less time for children to commit new words to memory as the drawings help to create associations between spellings and words. Every school or home should have this app as it sets the groundwork for further vocab and grammar learning in the native language and also, it introduces children to foreign languages. This a great package in an app and we can’t wait to hear more from this developer.

Screenshots

From the Developer

"There are a plethora of spelling and keyboarding apps out there, and developer Perception Technologies, S.L. throws its hat in the ring with Dic-Dic. Multilingual dictation to practise spelling, writing, and sound-letter matching. With three levels of difficulty and four different languages, this app is a fun way to explore English and learn other languages."
"Overall, this is a great little spelling, keyboarding, and language app all rolled into one. It's super easy to use and supports basic spelling skills in four languages."

"Dic-Dic is an excellent value for students or children who are learning beginning reading/spelling/phonics skills and for students who would like a gentle, low-key introduction to Spanish or French. The app’s ability to grow with the user is a real plus."

"It's an app that we really liked. On one side it has features that bring the content to students. And on the other, by the possibilities when working with students with special educational needs. It has a simple and intuitive design that provides a high degree of autonomy to the students, being able to work without the help of an adult. The activities are well patterned and error handling is very appropriate, students are not afraid to make mistakes, learn from motivating way."

"Dic-Dic. Multilingual dictation to practice spelling, writing and sound-letter matching is such a great learning tool! In addition to spelling and keyboard experience, it give kids the opportunity to explore other languages in a fun and relaxed atmosphere!"

DIC-DIC is the perfect educational game to learn to spell commonly-used words in several languages. The audiovisual dictation at 3 levels of difficulty lets boys and girls from 3 to 8 years of age learn spelling and vocabulary in a fun way.

The game is designed both for practising the first language and to acquire vocabulary and spelling knowledge in a foreign language.

This is a 100% safe application, with no advertising or in-app selling, simple and intuitive to use, so that your children can play completely independently and safely.

The game lets the user choose the level of difficulty they want at any time, what language they want to practise and whether or not have clues. The clues allow the youngest children to reinforce their learning of letters in association with their sound.

One of the special features of this application is the use of the keyboard to enter the letters, an option which is not common in applications of this kind and which enables users to become familiar with this tool.

The application includes an extra game to reward good players. This comes up when they achieve a certain number of right answers.

The application also features albums of scores, making it possible to monitor success achieved at each level in each language.

Highlights

• Spelling and audiovisual dictation game.
• Bonus game to reward good players.
• Album to record achievements in each language and level.
• Produced under the advice of educators and native-speaker teachers of each language.
• Read by native speakers of each language.
• Personalisable and adaptable to the level of knowledge of each player.
• Correction of incorrect responses to reinforce learning
• No third-party advertising.
• No in-app purchases.
• In British English, American English, Spanish, French and Catalan.